Young Justice: Reign
by Strike OOO
Summary: 18 years into the future, an evil dictator rules Earth. He's wiped out most of the universe and the only survivors have been left here as his slaves. All hope is not lost, though the Justice League and team have perished. Can a group of teens aspiring to be superheroes save the world? Or at least what's left of it?


I watch as the air I breathe out forms into swirls of smoke before it disappears. A cold burst of wind passes through me again like I'm ghost. Never had I imagined I would be this cold, this alone. I hug my knees for some kind of warmth. The night's sky is illuminated by the full moon and stars that shine down on me. My clothes are tattered and torn, my arms and legs are coated in bruises, and my hair is a nappy mess. I think about how much my life changed in the past two days. Though I was a slave for them, at least I had someone. I've never felt so alone. Darkness surrounds me in this hollow cave, tugging and pulling at my soul. It's whispering to me inside my head. The voice calls on me, trying to convince myself that I'm better off dead. They're vicious taunts. Death scares me, even though I do believe in heaven. The wolves howl at the moon and stars above them. My ears are attentive, listening closely for any sound that would alert me to another's presence. There's a constant crunching sound. Feet march towards me, stomping on fallen leaves and twigs that lay scattered on the nearby ground. It's them; they're coming for me. I hastily scurry to the back of the cave. Maybe they will leave? If I'm lucky they will pass right by me. Luck never has been on my side though. Snow began to fall, delicately cascading to the ground. The marching grows louder and louder as the soldiers grow nearer. They live to serve their master. I'm sure that they've found me. This is it. I take in a deep breath, thinking it will be my last. I know they found me and that this is the end.

_**BLAST!**_

A single laser-shot was all I heard. It was one of them, I know it. Maybe I could've saved him or her. If I only tried to save him or her, I guarantee I could.

I bet whoever it was, was a lot like me. Meta-humans, humans with powers; he/she was probably running from the Miggoden (an alien race that took responsibility for destroying the Earth and many other galaxies when they started the war with the Justice League a few years ago) Hero, villain, civilian, and other causalities had been piling up ever since the war ended. The Miggoden now controlled what was left of the Earth, which was actually all that was left of the universe, life-wise.

How could they just kill like that? Like we were nothing? I finally couldn't take it. We've lost too many to count. I closed my eyes and the world around me seemed to freeze. I've been practicing, getting better and stronger. With my powers, I can time travel. Though, I can't go too far into the past or the future. 20 minutes is all I have. I need to find this person before it's too late. So, I did what I do best, I ran. Except this time, I'm running towards something, not away from it. Being held captive by the Reach, you're their slave; running away from captivity, you're dead. If they don't get you, disease or other things will; dehydration, starvation, other Meta-human, etc. It was cold, freezing actually. I shivered as a wind passed by, whipping my hair back. There was a cave up ahead. I slowed to a stop, peering carefully inside. I didn't want to startle anyone or for them to attack me. "Hello?" I whispered. My voice echoed off of the rock walls as I entered the darkness within the cave. A boy with brown hair, freckles, and hazel eyes sat on the cement, hugging his knees. I could tell he was frightened, whether it was because of me or the fast-approaching enemies I didn't know. The boy looked older than me or at least my age. He blinked up at me in confusion, huddled on the ground. "Come on, we have to go!" I shouted in a hushed tone. Standing to his feet, he followed me to the mouth of the cave. They were getting closer and closer to us. "I don't know what to do." I mumbled, hoping something would click in my head and show me what to do next. Nothing.

"We could run for it." I suggested. It was a stupid idea. Make a run through the woods and then keep running. We would literally have to out-run an army. I've been on my own for so long. I haven't had to look after anyone. "Yeah, ok." He said with a simple nod. We looked at one another for a second before taking off into the night. They shouted and I knew we were spotted. The boy followed quickly. He seemed more determined than before. It was like he had no reason to live at first, but somewhere between then and now that changed. Lasers soared towards us, set to kill [1].

On instinct, I ducked and shielded my head; waiting for death, but praying it would never come. And it didn't.

**_"NO!"_**

As the lasers were rapidly fired from the guns of our enemies, I spotted her. The girl who rescued me was cowering on the ground and covering her head. I couldn't let her die because of me, I refused to. "No!" I shouted, raising my arms as if telling them to stop. The lasers froze and flew backwards. The men were so shocked that they didn't move out of the way. She glanced up to see what happened. She stood, jaw nearly dropping to the ground with surprise. She must have not thought that I had powers. "How did you..." the girl started, but before she could finish a laser was fired. I grabbed her hand and started running when I noticed that some of the soldiers were rising from the ground. They were almost like robots and for a second I felt like we were in The Terminator. Not all of them must have been hit, I assumed. We needed to get out of here and fast; before they call in backup. Tires screeched as a relatively new black convertible pulled up in front of us. The tires looked a little worn out and the car seemed to be older than it first appeared. A red headed girl with green eyes was at the wheel. She looked irritated, agitation clearly visible in her emerald eyes. We literally jumped into the car, me getting in the back and her getting in the passenger side. The red-haired girl sped off, pressing down hard on the gas pedal. The car was speeding by so fast; I could barely see the demolished trees pass by. The two girls briefly exchanged glances. Did they know one another? The girl who had rescued me checked in the rearview mirror before sighing in relief. "We lost them." she stated. Looking to the other girl, she smirked. "That was a close one!" the girl shouted over the roaring wind. The other girl nodded, though she was driving, she also seemed to be listening too. "Yeah, you're welcome" she responded, her words held with a thick hint of sarcasm. She didn't smile or grin, just focused on the barren road ahead of us. I studied the two girls carefully. Leaning forward, my eyebrows knitted in confusion. "You two know each other?" I questioned, interest suddenly growing. The red head rolled her eyes, muttering, "Sadly." So many questions formed in my head, adding to the list of ones I had about the girl who rescued me.

The other girl only shook her head and scoffed. Ignoring her, she smiled and looked at me through the rearview mirror. It was as if her green eyes were staring into my soul. Like just by looking at me she could tell my entire life's story, even though I knew she couldn't. "Gwen Dawson and you are...?" she said, stretching out the 'are'. She was curious, intrigued eve. "Kyle." I answered shortly. There was really no need for a last name. However, it had been a while since I actually said my name aloud; let alone to another person. A brief silence passed as the wind whipped past our heads. It blew our hair back, tugging it along. Her eyes drifted to the girl in the passenger seat. How long had they known one another? The girl in the passenger seat had long, faded blonde hair. Her eyes were a bright crystal blue. This was the girl who saved me, who risked her life for someone she didn't even know; and I admired her for that. She was brave and courageous. Yet, I still didn't know her name (among many other things). This girl was my hero.

She turned around and I was met with those bright blue eyes. It was like she knew I was watching her, like she read my mind. For a split second, I wondered if she was a telepath. 'Maybe she is', I thought. Her eyes reminded me of the sky, before it became the darkened, never-ending gray it always is. That was so long ago. "Kyle...it fits. My name's Blair." she commented. We shared a brief smile before the car slowed to a stop. Peering back to the road, I could see an enormous eighteen-wheeler flipped on its side. The entire vehicle was white with red words that I couldn't quite see. It was tilted sideways, blocking the road. Most of the truck was coated with a layer of dirt and rust. There was no telling how long it had been there. Months, probably even years that truck had been abandoned and left there. Gwen pulled the keys from the ignition. All of the life drained from the roaring engine, leaving it powerless. She jumped out of her seat, clmbing over the door. Her feet lightly touched the cracked pavement. Then she reached into the backseat and for a tattered black backpack. The backpack looked as if it were barely being held together. I hadn't even noticed it was there. I was too focused on the girls. Then again, could you really blame a guy? Blair opened the door and got out the easy way. She pushed the seat forward, allowing me to get out. For a short second, her diamond-like eyes bore into my hazel irises. I moved out, following her and Gwen. I wondered where we were going, but remained silent. "Couldn't you just phase us through?" Blair asked Gwen. She looked back to the car. A part of her looked as if she regretted leaving it behind. Gwen just shook her head 'no'. "Couldn't you just travel back in time to before this started and prevented this from happening?" Gwen challenged, sliding the backpack on her shoulders. That seemed to silence her. We walked around the truck, heading down the road. "Besides, we needed to go on foot from here anyways."

I couldn't wait any longer. My curiosity was killing me. "Where are we going?" I queried. Both girls stopped walking, turning to me. "We?" Gwen asked. "You aren't coming with us. You seem like a nice guy and all, but we stopped taking in strays a long time ago." she informatively added. Something must have happened to them, something that made them not trust any outsiders. "Gwen, why don't we just let him come? I'm sure the others wouldn't mind." Blair said. She was defending me. She became angrier, her face full of rage. "You've been gone for two weeks, Blair! You don't know what's happened since then. They've been using Metas to capture other Metas. He could be a spy!" she yelled angrily.

The girl who had seemed so nice and welcoming had now vanished; leaving someone completely different, someone who didn't trust me. Blair opened her mouth to say something, but closed it. She held her arm as her eyes drifted to the ground. I knew for sure that I wasn't a spy, but how could I convince them?

"Please, I'll do anything to convince you I'm not with them." I begged. I had only been free for two days and I didn't want to go back; freedom felt so good. I would do anything to stay free, anything to never ever become their slave again. The girls watched me carefully, both contemplating what to do. Gwen sighed, obviously frustrated. It seemed like a part of her wanted to trust me, but couldn't. "Do you know where Bludhaven is?" asked Gwen. I nodded and she continued, "We'll meet you there in ten days with one of our friends. He'll check you out and make sure you aren't a spy."

After she explained it all, we parted ways, diverging onto two different paths.

**MILES** **AWAY...**

The tyrant sat high perched on his throne. He enjoyed his job, ordering the pathetic Metas and humans around like slaves. Since the invasion, their numbers had dwindled. After yesterday's ordeal with a few of the prisoners, quite a few people had escaped. [2] There was a total of two hundred and five to escape when the collars were released. All of which were caught except for twelve of them. Strangely, the ones who made it out were all between the ages of thirteen to eighteen. None of the elders even bothered. His eyes briefly scanned the few slaves working under him. His throne was about fifty feet above the ground, placed on top of an old building that looked as if it would crumble at any moment. Being a dictator was difficult work, there were so many people to boss around at one particular time and half of them thought it would be a genius idea to disobey him. That half usually ended up dead or worse, tortured. Well, it was worse for them. Their pain, his gain. He had always enjoyed taking part in such activities. He's thrilled by their screams or cries of pain, it fuels him like oil to a fire. Yet, he couldn't fully enjoy them today. He had to find the ones who escaped. But he couldn't leave his throne. He needed someone to do the job for him. He needed help, though he hated to admit it and wouldn't if anyone asked.

The Miggoden where an alien race that looked much like humans. The only difference was their incapacity to be anything other than soldiers. They don't think for themselves or feel emotions like humans did. And when he first found them, he knew that they would be the perfect army to take over the world. What he really needed was someone to round up all the escapees and bring them back.

"You requested for me?" a teenage boy with unruly black hair questioned. The boy looked to be about 18 or 19 years old. He was tall with a muscular built.

The man seated grinned, "I need you to capture a few people for me."

"You know my usual fees for capturing Metas." he said, folding his arms. His expression was serious and his still face unwavering. Though the most powerful man in the world was seated before the boy, he stood his ground. "Done. Anything else?" He shook his head. The man stood, holding out his hand. He wished that he could just look into the eye's of the man across from him. No one has ever seen his face, but the cloak that shielded his identity also branded him one, the Reaper. Nevertheless, he shook the older man's hand. "It's a pleasure doing business with you, Haywire." the tyrant added. [3] This boy, Haywire, was one of the select few that weren't his slave. These people were known as the Light, useful people he decided he needed later; not as servants, as allies. The boy left without another word, leaving the man to once again enjoy the screams of the weak. Haywire had the blood of some of them most skillful assassins ruining through his veins. The tyrant was sure of the boy's abilities to capture those who escaped.

* * *

FOOTNOTES:  
[1] The laser guns that the "soldiers" use are the same ones in my story The Girl He Left Behind, how Maggie's guns are. They shoot out lasers that stun the person, instantly knocking them out; but if you shoot them in the right place, you can kill them. The blast is also kind of forceful, so it could definitely push a person (or Meta human) down or back depending on the angle.

[2] This is referring to chapter twelve in Story Mess entitled Heroes. Though I changed the fact that it was Blue Beetle in that story, where as in this one it's someone else.

[3] Haywire is the son of my OC, Tess Gatlin (who also goes by the same name). She's in the story Young Justice Beta (which you should DEFINITELY check out). Also, the dad is Nightmare (Punisher164's OC) from the same story.

**This story is AU to the show. It takes place in the future, that has become an apocalyptic world. Please review, I would love to know what you think about this. Also, in case you hadn't noticed, the POV changes whenever I put a slanted-bold or underlined-bold word in the middle of the page or to the left. Also, tell me if you want to see any of the team's kids and which ones.**


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